Center To Teach Bernardin Legacy

Organizers say a new center at the Catholic Theological Union named after Joseph Bernardin will be a nursery for the late cardinal's forward-looking theology.

The Bernardin Center "will continue to develop some of the issues and interests the cardinal had during his own lifetime," Monsignor Kenneth Velo announced Tuesday.

Velo, longtime aide to the cardinal, will serve on the board of trustees at the center, scheduled to begin this fall. The center will provide academic training and scholarships and fund theological research.

As secretary and president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bernardin, who died Nov. 14, was instrumental in the implementation of reforms begun by the Second Vatican Council, which was first convened in 1962 by Pope John XXIII and ended in 1965.

Because of his efforts, Bernardin's fingerprints are seen in much of the modern Catholic Church--including its sacraments, social policy and liturgy.

Bernardin developed the "Consistent Ethic of Life," which consists of issues such as health care, abortion and the justice system.

Before his death, Bernardin gave his approval for the center, writing: "I am deeply honored by this wonderful gift. . . .I am very pleased that you will continue my legacy and vision for the church which are based on the teachings of the Second Vatican Council."

In a statement released Tuesday, Rev. Norman Bevan, president of the Catholic Theological Union, the country's largest Catholic graduate school of theology, said the center would have a marked impact on church leadership.

"Cardinal Bernardin's legacy is evident in the major accomplishments that have become his trademark in the church in the United States," Bevan said.